James Buchanan adds to GOP disapproval on offshore drilling

House District 72 Republican candidate James Buchanan opposes the Trump administration’s plan to open up offshore drilling off the coast of Florida.

“I’m against it,” the Sarasota real estate agent and broker told Florida Politics Friday.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke proposed Thursday a sweeping new offshore drilling plan that intends to open large sections of the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific oceans to oil exploration, a move that has been denounced by Democrats and Republicans throughout Florida.

Buchanan is running against Democrat Margaret Good in the special election in House District 72 on Feb. 13. The vote was scheduled after Republican Alex Miller announced in September she was stepping down from the seat.

Good said on Thursday that she was “horrified” by the Administration’s decision, and Buchanan needed to speak up about what he thought of the proposal.

“Is James aligned with President Trump on this issue and on climate change?” she asked in a statement. “Does he agree with the Republican leadership that we should sell off our natural resources to the highest bidder?  What does he stand for?”

Criticism of the plan has been bipartisan in Florida, led by Gov. Rick Scott, who in a rare public disagreement with Trump, said this week he opposed the announcement.

Scott added that his “top priority” was to ensure that Florida’s natural resources remain protected, a stance with which Buchanan says he agrees.

Vern Buchanan, James’ father who represents Sarasota County in Congress, blasted the proposal as well, calling it “reckless, misguided and potentially catastrophic to Florida.”

Libertarian Alison Foxall is also on the ballot in the HD 72 race. She was not available for comment Friday.